"And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence." Again (Jer. xiii. 23): "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? Then may ye do good, who have been accustomed to do evil." (Rev. xxii. 11:) "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still and he that is filthy, let him be filthy still." (Rev. xiv. 11:) "They have no rest day and night." (Rev. XX. 10) "They shall be tormented day and night for ever." J. B. KEENE. : [The extracts from Swedenborg confirmatory of the Eternity of Hell, which were read by the Essayist, will be given in our next number.] H HINTS ON DISCUSSION. No. II. To the Editor. INT VIII.-State your position in the simplest terms possible. This is very necessary in order to arrive at a clear understanding, and will prevent many complications. HINT IX. Avoid the use of involved sentences and words not in common use. Long sentences are seldom clear, and "fine" words are not nearly so powerful as common ones. Good debaters like John Bright and John Arthur Roebuck owe their position as trenchant speakers to the habitual use of good plain English words. HINT X.-Always ask for an explanation when your opponent uses a term you do not thoroughly understand. The probability is that he will be as ignorant of the meaning and bearing of the term as you are; if not, by securing an explanation you get on terms of equality with him, and thus acquire the power to answer him. HINT XI.-Beware of ambiguous terms. If a term (or If a term (or word) has more than one meaning, specify your meaning when you use it, and get your opponent to do the same. HINT XII.-Be prepared to give and to demand definitions. HINT XIII.-Discuss one subject at a time. HINT XV.-Ask for time to consider any argument which comes upon you by surprise. Frequently an entirely new ground of argument will put you to very great disadvantage. Never attempt to quibble or to evade its force, but acknowledge your inability to meet it offhand. HINT XVI.-Never be afraid of a Latin or Greek or French, or any other foreign expression used by an opponent. Quietly ask for its English equivalent, and deal with that. HINT XVII.-Never quote from a language that your opponent does not understand. HINT XVIII.-Do not assume that because an argument contains two premises and a "therefore" that the argument is logical. The syllogistic form is often used to convey the most illogical and absurd ideas; as, for instance, "The Queen of England is a woman. My mother is a woman; therefore my mother is the Queen of England." HINT XIX.-Discriminate very carefully between facts and opinions alleged to be founded on facts. No argument can upset "facts," but it not unfrequently happens that too wide inferences are claimed from them. DEBATER, REVISION OF THE CONFESSION OF FAITH BY THE UNITED PRESBYTERIANS. HE "U.P.'s," as they are commonly called in Scotland, are one of the three great sects of Presbyterians which prevail here, and the Confession of Faith is a book which contains the doctrines of Calvinism and Solifidianism that are the "standard" doctrines of all the Presbyterian sects. All Presbyterian ministers are sworn on the Confession of Faith, and when they are tried for heresy it is on the Confession of Faith that they are tried. The U.P. Synod is the General Conference of that body, and has just closed its session. Last year this Synod appointed a committee to consider whether the Confession of Faith ought to be revised, and this committee has laboured a whole year upon that business. The result is that they have decided not to touch the Confession of Faith itself, but have drawn up a "Declaratory Statement," which is to be taken as explaining some of its doctrines, and this statement the Synod has approved of, and will no doubt ultimately adopt. It may interest the readers of Morning Light to hear what this influential body of Christians propose as their present creed. There are seven points in the Declaratory Statement, which, briefly stated, are as follows: 1. Free offer of salvation to all men without distinction. 2. God wills all men to be saved. 3. Men are responsible to God for their actions. 4. Infants may all be saved, and the heathen are not necessarily lost. 5 and 6. Voluntaryism. 7. Liberty of opinion granted on such points as the "six days of creation." A curious illustration of the present state of the Christian Church is here presented. While affirming the above propositions, the U.P.'s stoutly maintain that there is no opposition between them and the Calvinistic doctrines of the Confession of Faith. They repudiate with indignation and horror the idea that they are altering anything in their "Standards." The Rev. Dr. Cairns, who, on behalf of the Revision Committee, presented the Declaratory Statement to the Synod and urged its adoption, openly said that he couldn't explain the inconsistency between the Declaratory Statement and the "Standards." He compared them to two portions of territory divided by a river over which there was no bridge, but he said they were to get the wings of faith and fly over. This means that they were to try to believe two opposite things at the same time. The Standards say "" that God wills only the elect to be saved;" the Declaratory Statement that "He wills all men to be saved." The U.P.'s are now to get the wings of faith and believe both of these statements. New Churchmen will be apt to pity them while engaged in that attempt, but they will at the same time rejoice that now at least of two opposite things which a U.P. is bound to believe one at any rate is true. The seven points of the Declaratory Statement are all excellent; and although the cannie U.P.'s are not yet prepared to openly throw overboard the old lumber of the Confession of Faith, it is evident that they know it is lumber, and that it will be quietly dropped overboard as soon as nobody is looking. In saying this I refer of course to those points in the Confession of Faith which are affected by the Declaratory Statement. Unfortunately that is not the whole of it; not indeed the most important part of it. The doctrines of Tritheism, of Substitutionary Salvation, and of Faith Alone remain in all their old force and forms. No one dare venture as yet to lay a finger upon them. It was for insidiously assailing these doctrines that the Rev. Fergus Ferguson was so severely dealt with the other day by the Glasgow United Presbyterian Presbytery. Mr. Ferguson was supposed to have denied the "substitutionary" plan of salvation, and to have taught that our salvation depended in some degree upon our own actions. He appealed from the judgment of the Presbytery to the Synod; and after a good deal of hocus-pocus he was induced to declare his faith in the "substitutionary" aspect of the Atonement in its most revolting form, and that it was "most assuredly his conviction that Christ's death was a satisfaction to God's justice as that which requires the punishment of sin;" also that "Christ's death is the only ground on which, consistently with the honour of God and the claims of His law, He remits the guilt and the penalty of sins of will and life as well as that of original sin.” These unexpected declarations caused great relief and joy to many people, but led others to call Mr. Ferguson a "mass of blubber." This elegant expression, which was applied to Mr. Ferguson by the Scotsman, is supposed to describe his plastic. nature when under examination. The result, however, is, that Mr. Ferguson was last Sunday reinstated as the minister of the Queen's Park U.P. Church, and it is an undoubted fact that he owes his reinstatement to his affirmation of the doctrine of substitution. It is evident, therefore, that that cardinal doctrine of the Old Church still retains his great hold upon the United Presbyterians of Scotland, and that they cannot be described as we sometimes hear people described who have made a little theological progress, as "quite a New Churchman." DEATH OF EARL RUSSELL. J. F. P. N Tuesday, May 28th, Earl Russell passed away into the spiritual world in his 86th year. Entering Parliament before he had attained his 21st year, Lord John Russell for more than half a century occupied a distinguished rank as one of the champions of Civil and Religious Liberty. His memory will be associated with the Repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts, the Catholic Emancipation Bill, the Tithe Commutation Act, the Dissenters' Marriage Bill, and other minor measures tending towards the removal of civil disabilities and grievances on account of religious opinions. His labours in connection with the British and Foreign School Society, and similar institutions, not less than his successful achievements in the more specially political part of his career, will cer tainly induce men of all creeds and parties to hope that his active life of usefulness on earth having come to an end, he is now realizing what it is to rest and be thankful.' SWEDENBORG READING SOCIETY. MONTHLY MEETING. HE usual monthly reading meeting of this Society, being the last of the session, was held on Thursday, May 16th, at the Society's house, 36 Bloomsbury Street, W.C., when a paper was read by the Hon. Secretary, Mr. J. B. Keene, on "The Eternal State of the Wicked," the text of which we print in full in the present number. Below we give a report of the discussion which followed the reading of the paper. The meeting commenced at seven o'clock, and after some preliminary business had been transacted, the President, the Rev. Dr. Tafel, briefly introduced the subject of the evening and called upon Mr. Keene to address the meeting. At the conclusion of the paper, the President invited those present to offer any observations upon the subject under consideration which they might think fit. The first to respond to the invitation was Mr. James Speirs, who said: "Mr. Keene has touched upon a wonderful number of points-some of which are very strong in connection with this subject. In fact, the paper, although it has not occupied very long in the reading, contains a very complete outline touching upon most of the arguments of what we are pleased to term our point of view of the subject. There is no doubt but that God, who desires the happiness of every man, is as able to effect His purpose in this life as He will be in the life hereafter. It must ever be remembered that God is always anxious to save man in this world; and the conditions of man's salvation are as favourable in this life as they can be hereafter. Yet what is the state of the world and of mankind? With all God's efforts we see that man is not reformed, and this follows from his being in a state of freedom and rationality, and thus being allowed to choose the evil or the good. God seems to be saying to us all: 'I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil' (Deut. xxx. 15); and in the words of the Apostle: When I would do good, evil is present with me.' There are good qualities in good animals, but we do not call them virtues; but in man good qualities are virtues, and their opposite, vices. But because it has no choice and instinct virtue cannot be attributed to any animal. It is from his power of choice that a man is a man, and can become angelic or the reverse. The teaching of the Lord in the parable of 'The Tares' that they should not be plucked from the wheat is applicable to us and to all mankind, individually and collectively. If all the evil suggestions were plucked out of a man's mind he would be deprived of what makes him a man, and be reduced to a mere good animal. One reason why a number are removed in early life is because they could not be regenerated in freedom. As long as the freedom remains the man is left to make his own choice, because it is the very quality which constitutes him a man. We see, therefore, that there is no possibility, in the present state of the world, of God compelling man to adopt a good life here, and the possibility seems to be very much less hereafter. For in man here, his internals and externals are not united-they are dissimilar; but hereafter the internals and externals are not two but one, so married that the internal love is also the external love, and therefore the ruling love of the man becomes the very man. The good man because he drops the body does not alter his nature; he has the same choice of companions there as he had here, and the choice of these companions forms his heaven. It is the outflow of the character of each, and this outflow-the love of his heart and the wisdom of his understanding-there is no occasion to restrain, because it goes forth in acts which result in happiness to those around. It in fact illustrates the well-known line 'It is twice blest, it blesseth him that gives and him that takes.' "The same rule prevails in hell. The fellowship of those who are in evil forms what we term hell; and their character is such that, although we know it gives delight to the doer, their actions must result in pain and misery to those around; calling forth resistance from them, and a return of the pain and misery upon him. This state of matters is according to the same rule which governs heaven. It is in the very order of things itself, and it is to a great extent the means of restraining evil in hell, just as on the other hand it is the means of enhancing the good in heaven. There are a number of passages in the Word and the Writings from which it is plain that any hopes we may have of reforming the wicked after death are without foundation. Swedenborg says that no man can be saved who has not formed a conscience in this life, and that all who have a conscience are saved. He says it is a fallacy to suppose that the evil are pricked by their conscience. None of their pains result from remorse or pangs of conscience, for the evil have no conscience. He says further that those who have not received one in this world cannot do so in the other world, and consequently cannot be saved, for they have no spiritual substratum in them in which they can receive the influx of heavenly love and be formed into angelic characters. The Writings also teach that men are not punished in the other life for what was done in this world. But there is a succession of states there; so that if a man has indulged in wickedness here, this ruling love will return as his ruling love hereafter. These two statements seem on the very face of them to preclude the idea of any reformation, and it is not uncharitable to suppose this; but rather it becomes uncharitable towards God, to think that He will not in every state and in every condition in which the wicked may place themselves, do His utmost to give them as much happiness as the characters they have formed and the loves they have acquired will permit of." Mr. Spalding, in taking a negative view of the subject under discussion, thought that it is necessary to make a distinction in our minds between an unchanging state, or one in which the elements of change do not exist actively, and an unchangeable state, or one in which change is impossible. The state of the wicked as revealed in the Writings of Swedenborg might, he thought, come under the former category rather than the latter. Man leaves behind him when he enters the other life no purely mental power; therefore he carries with him the faculty of freewill; and no organic form of the spiritual body is ever eradicated or destroyed. He passes into a state in which reformation is no longer given. But there is nothing in the condition of the wicked to render their reformation impossible in the other life. It is not for us to say how this shall be done, or whether it can be done; but we may, he thought, leave our minds open to the hope that the Lord may have means of doing it which He has not chosen to reveal to us. He was aware that we have no knowledge of the spiritual world beyond what Swedenborg tells us; but still, without raising the question of Swedenborg's infallibility on any other doctrinal point, he thought that we need not receive what he wrote on this subject as finally and conclusively true, but regard it as possible that Swedenborg was wrong merely in his "predictive" statements. He thought New Church people should remember that there are innumerable things still to be revealed to us, and that new truths often do not perfectly harmonize at first sight with old ones. He merely made the reservation in his own mind that on this point Swedenborg might have been wrong. Mr. Teed would not attempt to reply to Mr. Spalding's remarks as to the infallibility of Swedenborg; but, without considering this point, as a reader of the Writings for thirty or forty years, he thought it was impossible that there could be any doubting of the statements of Swedenborg that a man's future state is fixed by his life in this world. The Writings taught that a man may be saved towards the end of his life on earth, and that afterwards his regeneration may be completed in the other world, but in order that this may be so, his change must be genuine and real before he quits this life and even then he must go through a state of vastation and misery in the other life. Of course a man's regeneration is the work of a lifetime, and he goes on adding to it from day to day as we add bricks to build our house. Mr. Speirs had alluded to children who quitted this life, to the effect that if those children had been allowed to live, they could not have been saved in human freedom. He could not agree with this, for he thought that the same argument would apply to those children who did live to grow up. Mr. Banes considered that Mr. Spalding had been rather begging the question by calling in the infallibility of Swedenborg. We must be guided by the direct teaching of Swedenborg himself. (Hear, hear.) He thought that the position assumed in regard to this question by some of the public and the clergy of the Old Church, arose from the idea that the thought of tormenting people is incompatible with the love of God; but he thought the very fact of Swedenborg showing that the hells have their delights is consistent with the Infinite Love, for he believed that heaven would be to the wicked a hell of a more intense character than the hell they inhabited. The parable of the rich man and Lazarus would lead us to suppose that the agony was almost insufferable, yet it seemed to him that in the hells they have their moments of happiness, because they enjoy it. It was most difficult to conceive the meaning of these subjects, still he thought we got a glimpse of light as to the ignorance nowadays respecting the state of hell as well as the state of heaven, by reflecting that the world does not know that a man's love is his life, and therefore if a man lives in a state of evil here, he must hereafter come into such a state of torment as is described in Scripture where the worm dieth not." Mr. Gibbs wished to correct Mr. Teed by calling his attention to n. 828 of the "Arcana," in which Swedenborg says that the posterity of some persons are so very wicked that they could not be maintained in freedom and consequently they die young. With regard to our ruling loves and all the evils which we have here, it seemed to him that life in this world was the very abyss spoken of in the parable of the probationary. He was sure that wherever the Bible teaches anything about hell, it teaches about its eternal state; and that the modern quibblings about the meaning of the original Hebrew and Greek words would not alter that fact. He did not know whether Swedenborg was infallible or not, he would not say; but this he did say, that Swedenborg enabled him to read and understand his Bible in a very clear light, which he could not do before, and he was very grateful to him for it, as we all ought to be. Mr. Piercy did not believe that the wicked are allowed to indulge in their delights in an unrestrained manner at all, but that they are restrained by the fear of punishment, just as much as the good are restrained from doing evil when in heaven, by choice. The one is restrained from evil by love, the other by the fear of dire punishments. He, himself, had the greatest disinclination to believe in the eternity of the state of the wicked; and while accepting and believing as he must do-all that the Word and the Writings teach on the subject, still he was reconciled to the doctrine that the Love and Wisdom of God are able, by a means not revealed to us, to accomplish the ultimate salvation of the wicked. Swedenborg is very rich in describing the future state of the wicked, and how God's Love operates on them. That direful torments are not permitted for eternity was to him a consoling fact. The Rev. John Presland, in reply to Mr. Gibbs, must certainly say that he gave greater importance to a new translation of this Word, and that he believed the revision now in progress would rightly modify some expressions in the Authorized Version, so that they may rather mean the duration of an epoch, than imply, as at present, a duration of never-ending time. It is true that by this view of the subject the mere letter of the Word loses some of its force in connection with this subject of the eternal state of the wicked; but if you get under the letter, you see that the teaching of Scripture is as fully emphatic, and precludes any possibility of change when once the present probationary period has passed away. Then "unto every one who hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that which he seemeth to have shall be taken away." As to the authority of Swedenborg as an efficient and a sufficient teacher in this matter, we have been reminded-and unquestionably well reminded-that the Lord has many truths, scientific, philosophical, and religious, yet to reveal to mankind. But we must remember that Swedenborg is the instrument of the Lord's Second Advent, and that as such he occupies a perfectly unique position and exercises a final authority, since the Lord will never make a Third Advent. His statements respecting the nature of evil and its consequences are so deeply and intimately associated with the radical constitution of nature and the human mind, and form so large a portion of His doctrines, that if they were eliminated it would be hard to decide in which of his utterances we should place confidence. The fact that the scriptural expression "The wrath of God" absolutely means the ardour of the Divine Mercy is enough to prove the permanent injury wrought by evil. For this fact is based upon the truth that the Word in such passages speaks from the standpoint of the wicked themselves, who are thus exhibited as of such a distorted nature, that to them even God's love is felt as fierce and agonizing torture. The same truth is taught in the Divine Word in reference to the demoniac who had his dwelling among the tombs, and who cried to the gentle, loving Saviour, "Art Thou come to torment me before the time?" Jesus had no wish to cause pain even to a fiend; but the utter contrariety of the fiend's state necessarily rendered the Divine Presence a torment. Such being the condition of the wicked, that the more immediately the Divine Love operates upon them the greater must be their anguish, however much we may deplore the fact, and humbly share the Divine pity as it is exhibited in the Prophet Ezekiel, "I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked may turn from his way and live," we are compelled to admit that unless we do turn to the Lord we cannot be saved. The existence of evil for a quarter of an hour is as great a mystery as the existence of this misery of which we are speaking. God is the God of Infinite Love, of Infinite Wisdom, of Infinite Power. Why is evil permitted for an hour, unless it be that man must be in freedom; and because to cleanse him from evil and deliver him from misery, by an act of immediate, unconditional mercy, would be to destroy his freedom, even his identity? We have been told that it is not for us to make means for Divine Providence. That is quite true, but it is for us to regulate our opinions by the revelations God has given to us. And if we turn to the Sacred Scriptures, and to the Writings of the New Churchwhose value consists in this, that they explain to us the Scriptures— we shall find that the state which we now confirm ourselves in is a state which must necessarily endure. I know that the Divine Mercy is over all, and that the Lord is kind even "unto the unthankful and the evil," without exception; and therefore I am sure that to all eternity the very best will be done for the very worst, and that in the arms of His loving-kindness the very worst will receive all that Divine Love can administer to his eternal benefit. The President then announced that the time having expired he must call upon the essayist to make his reply. Mr. Keene remarked that some of the main points had been well stated; but the fact of our feeling that the thing ought not to be, when the teaching of Scripture and reason, and the teaching of Swedenborg, is against us, seems like taking up an argument by saying, "It is true that you have got all the argument, but I believe that you are wrong.' This is no argument. We have got Scripture to bear out all our points, and therefore we must bring our minds to look upon the question, not as if those who believe in this eternal state have any delight in it; nor that those who do not are the more charitable. Nothing could be a greater proof of the failure of evil than the fact that hell exists, nor can we suppose that a man can set aside his whole spiritual constitution and pervert his whole nature, and yet become an angel of heaven, for the state of the wicked is an utter inversion of the order of creation. If the teachings of Swedenborg were wrong in regard to hell, they might certainly be as truly wrong with regard to heaven; indeed, the Word, if it could not be believed in respect to hell, must be thrown aside with regard to heaven, and thus they would have to trust everything to chance. (Hear, hear.) The delights of the wicked are evil, that is, they are selfish, and not in connection with the love of the Lord and of the neighbour. The wicked are allowed to exercise their delight to some extent so long as they do not interfere with the delight of others in the same manner as those in a well-ordered prison in this world were controlled. If it were possible that a man could be saved against his will, he thought that there would not be a devil in hell, but love to the Lord would prevail there and everywhere. But he did believe most certainly that every devil in hell, if he was not restrained by the Lord, would get worse and worse to all eternity; for there is an infinite desire in every devil to become worse. The Rev. Dr. Tafel, as President, in reviewing the arguments that had been advanced, said: "There are two things mixed up in this question, which ought to have been kept separate-the eternity of the hells and the eternity of punishment. While admitting unreservedly the eternity of hell, and hence the eternity of the diabolic states of the devils, Swedenborg says distinctly in the 'Spiritual Diary,' nn. 2823 to 2827, that there is no eternal punishment (hear, hear), and at the same time he states that no punishment in hell nor in the world of spirits is ever permitted without some good end or purpose in view. The use of punishment is twofold, according as it is applied to the good or to the wicked. The good, or those who with their life's love have declared in favour of the Lord and His kingdom, are brought into a state of punishment, that they may be delivered from evil: but the wicked are brought into punishment in order that they may be vastated, i.e. that their active evil states may be made quiescent; and for this reason, that all in the other life, the evil as well as the good, must perform some use which is productive of some good. In illustration of the points that I shall bring before you, I shall draw chiefly on Swedenborg's 'Spiritual Diary,' because that more than any other work contains necessary particulars of doctrine. All in the other life must perform some use, even the wicked, when they punish and torture, are productive of some good. At this evil spirits are incensed' (S. D. 2924). In addition to the effect which punishment has in regard to vastating evil with the wicked, and thus of making it quiescent, no one is allowed to become worse in hell than he has been in this life. 'No one in the other life is permitted to become worse. As often as any one adds something new, in order that he may become accustomed to an evil to which he had not previously been accustomed, he is severely punished. By this a horror is caused in him, so that he no longer dares to do this. On this account there are also bonds by which they are restrained, and which they must not transgress; these are with every one according to the evil which he has acquired. So it is with all the rest who are in gehenna; while there they are sometimes in full freedom or licence; but as soon as they transgress and desire to acquire some new evil, and actually affect it, they are at once in the fire of gehenna, which is their interior torment, and fiery as it were; and by this they are so frightened, that finally they are kept is such a horror of it, that they do not dare to transgress; but in every moment when they endeavour to go beyond, they are in a state of fear' (S. D. 3093). Now as to the question of hell. That, as Mr. Presland and other speakers have observed, lies in the very order of creation; and is expressed in the Sacred Scriptures by nothing less than the golden rule, where we are taught that as one is, so he will be treated, and at the same time, that on this rule 'hang all the law and the prophets.' Concerning this law of retaliation we read: 'Good has remuneration in itself and blessedness conjoined with itself; hence is derived the law in respect to what is opposite to good, viz. that evil has punishment in itself, and damnation joined with itself. From one follows the other; for opposites are circumstanced just like their opposites' (S. D. 4651). As these punishments are entirely under the Divine Providence, only such consequences of evil are allowed to take place out of which some good will finally come; and all the other punishments are withheld from the wicked, so that they may not be overwhelmed by their evils. 'The angels have constantly the hells under themselves, and they moderate all things there, and this from the Lord; otherwise perpetual torments would be there' (S. D. 4596). As to the kind of delight which the wicked feel. Upon this subject, you will allow me to read to you a most interesting extract: The life of evil spirits consists in thinking and doing evil; for in this they place the delight of their life. Whatever is of their love, is of their life. Wherefore, if they were coerced in them, and kept in good by compulsion, they could not only not live, nor could they be reformed, i.e. bent towards good. Wherefore evil spirits are permitted to be of service by such things as belong to their delight, that the wicked may be mended, either by punishments, vastations, or temptations. they could not live without such things, and that they would be deprived of life, if they would be deprived of their malice, I was sometimes permitted to tell them; they also could not deny, but affirm it. That Now They also derive some comfort from hope, viz. when they intend some fraud, and covet; and when they entertain some hope of doing evil, then they are in a state of comfort, and are at rest; wherefore they have a life of rest from hope' (S. D. 2880). With regard to the point that there is no reformation in the other world, Mr. Spalding stated that the wicked do not leave any faculty behind them, but that is a mistake. The faculty which they leave behind them' is that which they are no longer allowed to use in the other life. Man while in this world is in the enjoyment of his corporeal memory; and the Lord makes use of this memory in all sorts of ways so that good may be implanted in man. this natural memory no man is allowed to use in the other life. Swedenborg states only one possibility of its being restored, which would happen in case all the humanity on some one earth should turn away from the Lord. This is however provided against, and the destruction of any natural globe, we are fully assured, will never take place, because we are taught that the humanity in this world is the lowest in creation; and the Lord by assuming the human nature here, and conquering the hells, and by glorifying His humanity, is able to keep the hells for ever in a state of subjection. I shall conclude with the passage which immediately follows the one in which Swedenborg states distinctly that reformation is not possible in the other life, because man has not got the use of the corporeal memory. He says: In the other life persons are not reformed, but they remain in the state in which they had been, only the filthy and false things of the corporeal memory and of interior ideas are curbed (domantur) by vastations and punishments, so that they become as dead, and that they can become obediences, as has been stated above. This is what is meant by man's remaining after his life, such as he had been in the body. In the other life, therefore, no one is reformed, but vastated, so that he can still become of some use. This is also rendered sufficiently plain from those who in the life of the body had no conscience, as is the case with adulterers and cruel persons. These become excrementitious and sit like dead stocks; and afterwards are utilized as such subjects, in which there is little life. They are not gifted with conscience afterwards; but by vastations those things are removed, which prevent their being put to some use' (S. D. 4038). In the case of King Charles the Twelfth, Swedenborg describes the process of vastation, that it begins with the head and is continued to the feet, and so until the whole person is vastated, and his evils can never burst out again." This concluded the discussion, and after the singing of the Doxology, and the pronunciation of the Benediction by Dr. Tafel, the company adjourned for refreshments and separated at about ten o'clock. HULL NEW CHURCH SOCIETY. ANNIVERSARY SERVICES. " HE Anniversary Services of this Society were held on Sunday, May 5th, and two following days. On the Sunday sermons were preached by Mr. J. R. Boyle, the newly-appointed minister, his subject in the morning being "Jacob's vision," and in the evening "Hereditary evil and human responsibility.' The attendance on both occasions was very good. On the Monday evening Mr. Boyle delivered a lecture on John Wesley and the religious revival of the eighteenth century. After giving a short biographical notice of the great religious reformer, he dwelt upon the moral and social state of the period in which he lived. His mission was not to correct the theological opinions or creeds of the Churches, but to awaken them to a reality of religious conviction and feeling, and to bring such convictions to bear upon the life and conduct. It was essential that a preparatory work such as this should be accomplished before the New Dispensation of Divine Truth could be established. In the establishment of this new era Swedenborg was the appointed instrument, and the works of this author the lecturer recommended his audience to study. The anniversary tea-meeting was held on the Tuesday evening at half-past six o'clock. The number present was 120, which was increased at the meeting held afterwards to about 150. It was one of the most successful gatherings of the kind ever held by the Society, the interest being increased by the fact that the meeting after tea took the form of a recognition service to welcome the new minister, Mr. Boyle. The chair was occupied by Mr. G. H. Hill, who, in his opening address, pointed out the tendency of all Christian bodies to pay less attention to creeds, and more to the life of Christian duty. He also alluded to the difficulties between science and revelation which now occupy so much attention, and spoke with pleasure of the willingness of the New Church to meet and reconcile these difficulties. The meeting was then addressed by Mr. H. Best, who, on behalf of the members of the church and congregation, gave to Mr. Boyle a very hearty welcome. He referred to the work that had been done in Hull since the commencement of the Society, a work which, he believed, was only the beginning of greater things. No doubt they were often too sanguine in their anticipations, and hence frequent disappointments; but it behoved them all to give their hearty cooperation to their new minister, and there could be no doubt that his labours would meet with success. In Mr. Boyle they had a gentleman whose extensive and varied knowledge would, he was sure, be used to forward every good cause both in the church itself and outside of it. His appointment was a thoroughly unanimous one, and the unanimity was not lessened after the short experience they had had of his abilities. Mr. Best concluded by giving to Mr. Boyle the assurance of their hearty sympathy and good wishes for his success in Hull. Mr. Boyle in his reply said that he felt altogether unworthy of the many kind things said of him. He should strive to be worthy of the confidence shown in him, and of the affection manifested towards him by the members of the Hull Society. He hoped to be able by the sympathy and hearty co-operation of the members of the congregation to attract the attention of some of the inhabitants of this large town to the teachings of Swedenborg; and he should also strive to unite the members together more and more in the bands of Christian love. He would also endeavour to extend his ministry to the homes of his people, to cheer them amidst the toil of their daily labours, to rejoice with them in their pleasures, and to sym. pathize with them in their sorrows. He looked forward to many opportunities of usefulness outside the church, in the educational institutions, and in the various philanthropic movements of the town. The young people of the church would occupy a great part of his attention. He considered it a great part of a preacher's duty to minister to the wants of the young; in guiding their studies, giving suggestive hints as to their pursuits, and advising them about their associations. The Sunday-school should have his support and active help, and he hoped to have the opportunity of working with the members of the church in many other ways. The chairman then called upon the Rev. W. B. Hobling (Baptist minister), who expressed the great pleasure he had in being present, and of having the opportunity of congratulating the Society on the appointment of a minister. He expressed the hope that under the pastorate of Mr. Boyle greater prosperity would attend their efforts. All religious societies were working for one end, and their recognition of each other's labours, and the exercise of Christian charity, would help on the great work. It was the duty of every man to be convinced in his own mind, and to act upon his convictions." This was enforced upon us by the injunction to "buy the truth and sell it not. Truth was to be sought with ardour, and when found to be held with all the force of conviction. As we valued it we should be faithful to its teachings, and make it the guide of our lives. Many motives might influence us to sell it, or to be unfaithful to it; whereas our duty and our interest were to hold it through good and evil report. Mr. J. Needler also addressed the meeting, and gave to Mr. Boyle a hearty welcome to Hull. He was sure that Mr. Boyle had qualifications which would enable him to commend the teachings of the New Church to all who might hear him. Urging the members of the Church to greater zeal and faithfulness, he expressed his confidence that, regarded from the very lowest standpoint, men would find the adoption and practice of Christian principles to be of the greatest advantage, as yielding comfort and happiness in this life and the next. At intervals during the evening several anthems were rendered by the choir in a very efficient manner. A vote of thanks to the ladies who provided the tea, and to the choir for their musical selections, was proposed by Councillor Shaw, seconded by Mr. West, and carried with acclamation, as was also a vote of thanks to Mr. Walker for decorating the church. The meeting, which throughout had been of the most pleasing character, was closed with the benediction. ITEMS OF INTEREST. The Rev. J. Deans is making an effort, under the direction of the National Missionary Committee, to resuscitate the Society at St. Osyth. A course of eight lectures has been commenced on Tuesday evenings and Sunday afternoons. Small bills announcing the subjects and suitable tracts were distributed at nearly every house in the village by two of the young ladies connected with the Brightlingsea Sunday-School. The attendance at the lectures so far has been satisfactory. The open space between the bridge of Jena and the main building of the Paris Exhibition on the Field of Mars is ornamented by a number of allegorical figures representing the several nations taking part in the Exhibition. Sweden is represented by a Dalecarlian peasant girl in national costume, who carries in her hand a scroll, on which are inscribed the names of Ehrenstral, Sergel, Tessin, Linnæus, Berzelius, Alströmer, SWEDENBORG, and Polhem. The sermon for the time, on "War Fevers and their Consequences," by the Rev. J. F. Potts, B. A., which appeared in No. 17 of our paper, and which, as has been mentioned, caused that number to pass into a second edition, has, we are pleased to learn, been reprinted as a four-page tract for gratuitous circulation. We trust that, at a time when the question of peace or war is in the minds of all, this admirable discourse may have an influence, however slight, in inducing many to bestow more serious thought than we fear is bestowed upon a subject involving the lives and happiness of tens of thousands of our fellow-beings both at home and abroad. We have received Part IX. of the Rev. Joseph Cook's Monday Lectures, consisting mainly of lectures upon various aspects of the question of Hereditary Descent. The subject is ably and vigorously treated, and many suggestive ideas are enumerated, but we think that as a whole they are not so likely to be useful to the cause of Christianity as many of his former lectures. We much prefer Mr. Cook's own opinions on the topics he discourses upon to his somewhat laboured analysis of other people's views. The "seven laws of hereditary descent," given in the lecture on "The Descent of bad traits and good," and the argument upon the operation of these laws, are noticeable features in the book. The Rev. Dr. Bayley has recently received a letter from a New Churchman in Auckland, New Zealand, which testifies to the wholeheartedness and vigour of those who adopt our views in the colonies. This gentleman means to introduce our doctrines so far as he canand he has already secured some channels-by means of the newspapers to the notice of the public at large; but he desired to obtain Dr. Bayley's consent to his reprinting passages from his various works before availing himself of them. It need hardly be added that Dr. Bayley and Mr. Speirs both gave their cordial consent to all their various properties being used as largely in this way as the gentleman could make occasions for their use. We learn with regret that the offer of the Leeds chapel by public auction did not bring a purchaser. An effort will now be made to sell it by private contract. A New Church friend now residing in Reading has translated Mr. Giles's little work on "The Incarnation, Mediation, and Atonement" into Welsh, his native language. It is to be hoped that an opportunity may be afforded for its publication either in some newspaper in the Welsh language or as a pamphlet. Sixty-three years ago, that is, in 1815, a Welsh translation was published of "The New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine," so this would not be the first New Church work in the language. Of the latter a few copies still remain. One of the curious features respecting it was that it found a much larger sale in Brittany than in Wales. A work which has come rather prominently before New Churchmen for some time past, as containing a striking similarity of view to our own, has just met with a singular fate. It is "The Spiritual Body: an Essay in Prose and Verse," by J. C. Earle, B.A. This book, which is written by an enlightened Roman Catholic, is both able and interesting. It is now in the third edition, and the fact that it has been placed on the Index Expurgatorius in Rome will, let us hope, give it not a less, but a greater circulation; as indeed its merits fully deserve. Much curiosity having been manifested as to the religious position of Dr. Sexton, the matter has now been set at rest by the Doctor avowing himself a Congregationalist. In consequence of the recent decision of the Congregational Union on the Religious Communion question, the Rev. Haydn Williams, of the Plumstead Congregational Church, has announced his intention of resigning his pastorate. SUNDAY-SCHOOL LESSONS. JESUS AND ZACCHEUS. June 16th, Morning.-Luke xix. 1-10. Jericho, through which Jesus passed, signifies instruction, and also the good of life. Zaccheus was a well-disposed Gentile, who desired to see Jesus, that is, to know something of His character. But he was small of stature, that is, spiritually, little in his own sight, and it was therefore necessary to take some means to see over intervening objects. His running before signifies his eagerness to press forward to the things that are before; and he climbed up a sycomore-tree, or wild fig. The fig-tree signifies natural good; and the wild fig-tree such good as exists among the Gentiles-the highest good, therefore, from which the Gentiles can see Jesus. While he ran, Jesus saw him, for by His sight in us we see Him. The Lord also knew his heart, and commanded him to come down that He might abide in his house. Zaccheus receiving the Lord joyfully into his house represents his reception of Him into his heart and mind; and the words he addressed to our Lord are figures expressive of the principle of good. SAMSON'S TRAINING. June 16th, Afternoon.-Judges xiii. 8-14. Samson was to be dedicated a Nazarite from his birth, as was Samuel. A Nazarite represented the celestial man; and every product of the vine was forbidden him, for the vine represents the intellectual principle of the spiritual man, and the celestial man cannot partake in what is spiritual; for there is a celestial Church and a spiritual Church, and the man of the celestial Church is regenerated by the seed implanted in the will part, and the man of the spiritual Church by seed implanted in the intellectual part. The Nazarite represented the Lord as to the Divine Human. The long hair of the Nazarite represented the natural man of the celestial; and the great strength of Samson is attributed to his hair, because good does not fight, but only truth, in which it is ultimated. The holiness of the Nazarite consisted in his hair, because he represented the Lord as to the Divine natural; and strength belonged to hair, because the hair is the ultimate, and all power is in ultimates. Printed by MUIR AND PATERSON, 14 Clyde Street, Edinburgh, and published by JAMES SPEIRS, 36 Bloomsbury Street, London, W.C. |